Pride of Berk
by shewhowillrise
Summary: Hiccup runs away after being chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. (not a 'Hiccup turns into a dragon' fanfic) Leads into HTTYD 2, Hiccstrid (plot change; rewritten version uploaded separately)
1. Runaway Prince

**AN: This au is if Hiccup saw the dragon's nest on his first flight (aka: alone, without Astrid) and decided to runaway after being chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. This au later leads into HTTYD 2.**

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Hiccup's stomach was still recoiling from announcement earlier that morning. He couldn't—wouldn't—kill a dragon. First viking in three hundred years not to. He wondered if he looked as pathetic as he felt. Probably.

As he finished up strapping his guarnet into place, he heard Toothless get out of the cave he was in.

"Hey buddy. Sorry I'm late today, had to pack a few extra things for our trip."

Toothless looked at him with a tilt of his head.

"We're leaving Toothless." He climbed onto the back of the nightfury. "For good."

He settled his foot into the prosthetic, opening up the man-made wing. In a gust of wind, they flew off.  
_

Stoick got up with pride growing through his limbs. His boy was at the top of dragon training, and today is the day he gets to kill his first beast.

"Hiccup!" He called, getting out of bed. "Today's the big day!" He walked out of his room when he was suddenly hit with worry.

"Hiccup?" He quickly bounded to his boy's room, finding it empty.

Clambering outside, he worriedly scurried through the village.

"Hiccup!"

Not in the arena, not in the workshop, not at Silent Sven's sheep farm, not anywhere.

"Gobber," Stoick called as he saw his friend walk by. "Have you seen Hiccup?"

"Eh he's probably out wherever he's been these past few afternoons. I bet he'll show up. Don't worry Stoick. All he's ever dreamed of is about to come true. He wouldn't miss a chance to make his old man proud."

Stoick nodded, even though his worried just borrowed deeper into the lit of his stomach.

The time came for Hiccup to kill the dragon. And there was no sign of him. The village searched, yet he still was no where to be found.

He was just, gone.

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 **AN: That's all I have for chapter one. I do have chapter two written (more than 1,000 words!) which will be uploaded sometime tomorrow. Come visit me tumblr: personal: bothwaystrustgoes; HTTYD: acehiccup.**


	2. No More Dragons

**Two Months After Hiccup Disappeared**

Many noticed that after the disappearance of Hiccup, that the dragon's stopped raiding the village. Sure a few do every now and then, but they were either alone or with a pack of no more than five, not a big group like they used to. They didn't know how it connected to Hiccup, but everyone was sure it did. Well _almost_ everyone.

"He just got scared and ran off because he knew he would be killed in the arena, whereas _I_ wouldn't have if I were chosen."

"Shut _it_ Snotlout." Astrid said angrily. The group of teens were in the woods searching for anything about where Hiccup could have gone or where he was.

Astrid remembers when she saw him in this neck of the woods. Not many venture out here so she knew she was onto something.

"Hey over here!" Called Ruffnut.

Astrid rushed over, seeing a tree ripped in half with what looked like a mud slide next to it.

The teens climbed down and over the dirt, coming to a small clearing with a cut bola.

Astrid picked up one of the boulders as Fishlegs picked up a black scale.

"I've never seen one of these scales before. Must be a dragon that we haven't been able to—" Fishlegs looked at as Astrid as she looked up at him, both surprised.

"Didn't Hiccup say that he caught a Night Fury during the last major dragon raid?" Fishlegs nodded at Astrid, confirming it.

" _What_?" Questioned Tuffnut, "What does a Night Fury have to do with Hiccup?"

"Oh _come_ _on_ , if Hiccup really caught a Night Fury, don't you think he would have killed it and brought it to his father, instead of being the laughing stalk of the village?" Snotlout snickered.

Fishlegs felt the cut ends of the bola rope. "Unless he _couldn't_."

The others looked confused and Astrid came to the same realization.

"He couldn't kill the Night Fury. So–"

"–He wouldn't be able to kill–"

"–the Monstrous Nightmare–"

"–so he ran away!"

The others still stared as Astrid and Fishlegs went back and forth.

"But how come the Night Fury didn't kill _him_?"

"He was too _puny_ obviously." Ruffnut deadpanned.

Fishlegs and Astrid ignored her. "Maybe there's answers in his room."  
_

The kids quietly tiptoed into the Haddock's house, halfway through the stairs when a voice boomed from a room in the house.

"He doesn't keep his stuff here, check his workshop. But you still ain't gonna find anything there. It's a lost cause."

The viking teens stopped in their tracks, slightly disheartens by the chief's saddened demeanor. They looked at each other before starting to walk out. Before Astrid was out the door, she was stopped by Stoick.

He looked at her with heartbreak, the same heartbreak her mother had when her older brother died during a dragon raid last spring.

"Find my son."

She nodded. This was an order from the chief. And she would fulfill it.  
_

The teens rummage through his workshop for any clues.

"What exactly would Useless have in here anyway?" Snotlout snickered.

"Just keep looking." Astrid responded, annoyed.

"Oh I found something!" Both the twins said at the same time. Tuffnut brought out a drawing of a dragon fin as Ruffnut brought out a drawing of an unknown dragon that was in one of Hiccup's journals.

Fishlegs looked at the one in the book, noting "Wow. This must be a Night Fury."

"But why would Hiccup just draw a fin?" Snotlout asked.

"It's not a real dragon fin." Astrid noticed, pointing to the edge of the fin. "See, this is cloth on metal rods. You can tell from how the webbing in between don't meet to the end of the rods like a dragon fin does."

"But why would he draw a _fake_ fin? That seems kinda stupid." Tuffnut said.

"To _replace_ the real one." Fishlegs said, pointing at the journal where there was a black smudge around the back fin.

"He must have injured it when he caught it!" Astrid said excitedly. They were onto something finally.

"Okay but how will knowing this help us find Hiccup?"

Sorta. Snotlout had a point.

"Do we tell people Hiccup fixed a Night Fury? You know, a dragon that tried to _kill all of us_?"

"Yeah that'll cheer up Stoick, Ruffnut! ' _Hey not only did your son run away, but he's been helping the enemy that terrorized us for hundreds of years!_ ' That'll blow over _real_ nicely." Snotlout snorted.

"Fine then, we'll keep it a secret, but we still need to find Hiccup." Astrid reasoned.

"But there hasn't been a dragon raid in weeks, we don't know where the Night Fury might be!" Fishlegs said with defeat in his voice.

"We'll figure out something, I promise." Astrid put her hand on Fishleg's shoulder, smiling to comfort him. Sure the other's were there looking because they were either bored or just liked to follow Astrid around, but she and Fishlegs really wanted Hiccup back. Sure Astrid didn't like the fact that Hiccup got ahead of her in training, but she held respect for him.  
_

 **One Month Ago**

Hiccup used an old catapult from the wrecked ship not far from the Dragon's Nest, using it to open up the mountain, waking the giant dragon inside.

It burst out of the rocks, roaring in rage as they were disturbed.

"We can do this Toothless." Hiccup hopped on the saddle, fully aware this was a crazy plan, but this was the only way to stop the war. If he could kill this giant dragon, the other dragon's wouldn't have to raid his—their—village for food, making it where vikings wouldn't have to kill dragons, and dragons wouldn't have to kill vikings.

As they soared around the giant dragon, Hiccup noticed it had wings.

"That thing has wings! Okay, let's see if it can use them!" Hiccup pulls Toothless into a turn. They plummet, gaining tremendous speed. The wind buffets them as they target the giant dragon.

Toothless unloads a fireball against the giant dragon's head. It goes down with a rumble. Hiccup and Toothless climb back into the sky as the giant dragon spreads its wings.

"Do you think that did it?"

Suddenly the giant dragon flaps into the sky, breathing fire.

"Well, he can fly." Hiccup and Toothless go higher into the sky, the giant dragon snapping at them.

"Okay Toothless, time to disappear!" Hiccup said as they neared the dark clouds. "Come on bud!"

The giant dragon follows, closing in fast.

Hiccup hears the gas in the back of the giant dragon. "Here it comes!"

They narrowly dodge a column of flame and smoke. They reach the low-hanging clouds and pierce them. The monster follows, immediately losing them in the hampered visibility. It roars irritably.

They dive at the giant dragon, blasting and puncturing a hole in its wing. Toothless and Hiccup are gone again before the giant dragon can get a shot at them. They dive in again and again, using the clouds to hide and surprise as they puncture the giant dragon's sings.

It bellows in frustration and whirls around, unleashing fire blindly, in all directions.

Hiccup sees the glow of fire cutting towards them.

"Watch out!" The blast clips Toothless' tail. It's heavily damaged.

"Okay, time's up. Let's see if this works." He pulls Toothless into a turn. They fly directly into the giant dragon's face, taunting it.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do!?" Toothless utters an insult too in clicks, and they jackknife into a steep dive. The giant dragon pursues. Toothless pumps his wings, racing faster than he's ever gone before. Hiccup and Toothless stay just ahead of the giant dragon. Hiccup glances back to check the tail and notices it's disintegrating.

"Stay with me buddy. We're good. Just a little bit longer."

The giant dragon closes the gap. Hiccup tucks in and holds Toothless steady, allowing the giant dragon to set its sights on them. It narrowed its eyes in anger.

"Hold, Toothless." Hiccup whispered in fear.

The giant dragon opens his mouth, the familiar gas hiss emanates from his throat - ignition is coming.

"Now!" Hiccup yelled, hitting the pedals hard as Toothless extends one wing, and they pivot in place, hurtling directly into the giant dragon's mouth. Toothless fires point blank down the giant dragon's throat, its amassing gas is ignited, backfiring into the giant dragon, erupting in a chain of blasts throughout its body.

Hiccup and Toothless burst from the clouds, the giant dragon hot on their tail, exploding from within. It glances forward and sees the ground rushing up. It throws up its wings in attempt to stop but the punctured, damaged wings can't stop its momentum.

The giant dragon chokes on the expanding fireball as Toothless pulls out of the dive, streaking up, past its head.

The giant dragon hits the ground, exploding on impact. Hiccup and Toothless weave through the giant dragon's massive back plates, wings, and flailing legs. The exploding fireball races toward them, about to shallow them. They manage to get clear and Hiccup glances back. They're outrunning the fireball!

He looks forward just in time to see the giant dragon's massive club tail careening toward them. As he tries to shift their direction, the last shreds of Toothless' tail tear away, the pedals going dead.

"No. No." Unable to maneuver, they're dead in the air, the giant club tail clips Toothless, tearing Hiccup from the harness and sending him tumbling into the fire.

Toothless struggles with all his might to reach Hiccup as the fireball swallows them whole.

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 **AN: And that's the second chapter! Hope ya'll liked it. Also find me tumblr!: bothwaystrustgoes (personal), acehiccup (HTTYD)**


	3. Dragon Training

**Five Months After Hiccup Disappeared**

Stoick became harder on the village as each month pasted and still no sign of Hiccup. Because seeing the arena brought up the memory of Hiccup, it was closed until further notice. In a vain attempt to blame the dragons for Hiccup's disappearance, like his mother, Stoick went in search for the dragon's nest again. This time he used a dragon to guide him, because if he couldn't find it, they certainly could.

What he found was an empty nest with a giant dragon corpse.

"They were raiding us to serve their queen." Gobber reasoned, next to Stoick on the shores. Stoick huffed at him and continued looking, for anything that would lead him to his son.

"Uh, Stoick?" Stoick looked to Gobber, eyes widening as he saw Hiccup's fur-vest. He quickly walked over to Gobber, grabbing the vest from him. It was charred and half gone, but Hiccup's.

—

Astrid hid in the absolute darkness of the night shadows, sneaking into the—now abandoned—dragon arena. A month ago the Chief had shut it down and made plans for a new one down the island. The pain of the memory his son's success was overwhelming.

Carefully lifting the gate so she could slip in. She was planning on doing the unthinkable.

Training a dragon.

She's spent the last two months reading Hiccup's journals, reading everything Hiccup wrote about himself training _Toothless_. Naming a Night Fury, Toothless, was such a _Hiccup_ thing to do. It made her smile when she read it.

She wasn't crazy enough to get the Monstrous Nightmare so instead she went to the Deadly Nadder. Plus if the Monstrous Nightmare caught itself on fire—like it most likely would—she would be caught and tried for treason.

Pulling the lever, the doors slowly opened, the Deadly Nadder just waking up.

"Hey there." Astrid said, holding out the fish she brought with her, Hiccup's pointer. "You want the food?"

The Deadly Nadder came to her slowly, sniffing the air.

"That's it. Good dragon."

The Deadly Nadder turned its head to stare at Astrid, eyeing her and the fish. Astrid held it out, but quickly pulled back her arms when the Deadly Nadder nabbed the fish from her hands. The Deadly Nadder looked at her again, getting closer and closer, stiffing her.

"Hey, it's okay." Astrid hesitantly held out her hand, barely touching the scales. "It's okay." She said, mostly to herself.

Finally trusting herself and the dragon, she laid her hand on the dragon's nose, just below its horn. Astrid smiled as the dragon purred—in its own way.

"Hiccup was right." Astrid started to chuckle in delight.

—

Gothi tended to the wound, making sure it wouldn't become infectious. The dragon watched as she did so, cautious that she would hurt his rider.

She looked over at him and huffed, annoyed that she had a nosey-nelly, but understood his reservations. Still, he's the one that brought the boy to her, least he could be is a little more trustworthy after these past few months.

While she wasn't happy about how they asked for help, at least the boy trusted her.

She picked him for a reason. And it wasn't to kill that dragon.

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 **AN: Unlike many stories like this, Hiccup doesn't gain the ability to speak dragon or understand dragons or turns into a dragon. I typically don't like those kinds of fanfics. Like I get that in the books Hiccup spoke dragonese, but for movieverse, it just doesn't seem plausible to me? So no dragonese sorry.**

 **Also most chapters will vary in length.**

 **Remember: Reviews give me motivation to write more! And thank you too everyone who has reviewed so far!**

 **~Alex**


	4. Author Note Rewrite?

**AN: I'm going to be entirely honest. I don't like this story anymore. I don't have the heart to write the original plot anymore. I hit a depression spiral which interrupted my writing process and my grandma just died.**

 **So like if this were to continue, it would have to be Way Different from the original. I'm sorry if you liked the last one but I just can't continue it. Another writer had this problem and I told them, "We'd love anything even if it's not your best work because it would still be wonderful. If you loved writing it then we'll love reading it. If you don't want to write it, it's evident to the readers. It's better to have a good well-written chapter you love than a forced chapter ya know? No matter what just make sure it's something you wanna do. ❤️" and I think I should follow my own advice.**

 **So I feel like completely changing the format and plot of** _ **Pride of Berk**_ **. Some elements will stay, like Astrid training in secret. But there will be bigger time skips.**

 **How would you guys feel about that? Like to be honest, I'm still gonna do it, but I want to know if you guys would be okay with changes?**

 **Edit: I will upload another chapter to this to announce when the rewrite is uploaded**


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